with a raised arm. “Just get us the fuck out of here.”
Hearty chuckles wafted from behind the steering wheel as Grigoriy gave an amused shake of his head. But unlike the woman beside Alexei, Grigoriy understood the benefit of haste. He slammed his foot on the gas and the Mercedes shot forward, barreling toward the as-yet-unmanned palace gates.
As they neared the curve in the road that took them past the parkedsecurity cars, three pairs of headlights shined on and blazed across the cement. Alexei pulled his gun from his side holster and rolled down the window, prepared to incapacitate anyone who got too close.
He couldn’t help but smirk when, beside him, Sasha ordered, “Drive faster!”
Six
S asha stopped looking out the rearview window as the bright headlights that had been tailing them for a good fifteen minutes dropped off. She faced forward, slumped in her seat, and stared at the midnight landscape that passed in a blurry haze. The driver let off the gas, and the Mercedes finally slowed its insane speed.
No one would come after her. They’d crossed into another tribal region, and at this time of night, it would take an act of God to rouse the sheikh. If they did, he probably wouldn’t give a damn Saeed had been killed. He’d made his dislike for Amir’s middle son well known.
As adrenaline ebbed, reality crashed onto her shoulders. She didn’t know what to feel or which questions to ask first. All she could identify was a cold numbness. Not from the chilly desert night, but one that began in her bones and radiated outward.
She stole a glance at Alexei. He stared straight ahead, his gun now holstered, one hand rubbing absently against his knee. His brow was drawn. Though he looked exactly as she remembered—right down to the two-day-old growth on his face—he wasn’t the same man that had held her in a military transport vehicle. That one knew the meaning of remorse. This one killed with only the barest words of regret.
Shuffling deeper into her seat, her gaze skimmed out the windshield, meeting the driver’s curious look through the mirror. He was handsome. Nearly as attractive as Saeed. But the laughter that lurked in his eyes was nothing short of wicked given the circumstances.
“So you’re Sasha.” His low baritone filled the quiet. He looked to the road once more. “Name’s Grigoriy.”
She focused on the passing lights outside. What was she supposed to say—nice to meet you? Hardly.
“And that’s Alexei, if he didn’t take the time to tell you.”
Alexei shifted in the seat and tugged his sport coat free from between his back and the seat. “We’ve met.”
His curt response was all Sasha needed to realize he didn’t share the same wistful memories of their time together in Moscow. She bristled. Grinding her teeth, she bit back anger. “Where are you taking me?”
The simple question didn’t come close to satisfying her temper, and before she could stop herself, she twisted in the seat and glared at Alexei. “You should have stayed in whatever sewer you crawled out of. Saeed didn’t need to die.”
“You took him out?” Grigoriy asked in disbelief.
The muscles in Alexei’s jaw hardened to stone. He answered with a crisp, silent nod.
Sasha reached across the seat between them and clamped her hand on his forearm. “Look at me, damn it! Quit acting like I’m the one to blame.”
When his light-green gaze skipped sideways to meet her glower, she regretted the order. If he’d been mad before, he was furious now.
“If you hadn’t called me by name, your precious Saeed would be sleeping off a lump to the temple instead of bleeding out in your bedroom.”
Like he’d backhanded her, she recoiled. It took a few seconds to recover from the unexpected whip of his tongue. When she did, what had been anger morphed into pure rage. “What the hell did you expect? That I was supposed to be coherent after what you two did to me? You could have whispered something in my ear
Hearty chuckles wafted from behind the steering wheel as Grigoriy gave an amused shake of his head. But unlike the woman beside Alexei, Grigoriy understood the benefit of haste. He slammed his foot on the gas and the Mercedes shot forward, barreling toward the as-yet-unmanned palace gates.
As they neared the curve in the road that took them past the parkedsecurity cars, three pairs of headlights shined on and blazed across the cement. Alexei pulled his gun from his side holster and rolled down the window, prepared to incapacitate anyone who got too close.
He couldn’t help but smirk when, beside him, Sasha ordered, “Drive faster!”
Six
S asha stopped looking out the rearview window as the bright headlights that had been tailing them for a good fifteen minutes dropped off. She faced forward, slumped in her seat, and stared at the midnight landscape that passed in a blurry haze. The driver let off the gas, and the Mercedes finally slowed its insane speed.
No one would come after her. They’d crossed into another tribal region, and at this time of night, it would take an act of God to rouse the sheikh. If they did, he probably wouldn’t give a damn Saeed had been killed. He’d made his dislike for Amir’s middle son well known.
As adrenaline ebbed, reality crashed onto her shoulders. She didn’t know what to feel or which questions to ask first. All she could identify was a cold numbness. Not from the chilly desert night, but one that began in her bones and radiated outward.
She stole a glance at Alexei. He stared straight ahead, his gun now holstered, one hand rubbing absently against his knee. His brow was drawn. Though he looked exactly as she remembered—right down to the two-day-old growth on his face—he wasn’t the same man that had held her in a military transport vehicle. That one knew the meaning of remorse. This one killed with only the barest words of regret.
Shuffling deeper into her seat, her gaze skimmed out the windshield, meeting the driver’s curious look through the mirror. He was handsome. Nearly as attractive as Saeed. But the laughter that lurked in his eyes was nothing short of wicked given the circumstances.
“So you’re Sasha.” His low baritone filled the quiet. He looked to the road once more. “Name’s Grigoriy.”
She focused on the passing lights outside. What was she supposed to say—nice to meet you? Hardly.
“And that’s Alexei, if he didn’t take the time to tell you.”
Alexei shifted in the seat and tugged his sport coat free from between his back and the seat. “We’ve met.”
His curt response was all Sasha needed to realize he didn’t share the same wistful memories of their time together in Moscow. She bristled. Grinding her teeth, she bit back anger. “Where are you taking me?”
The simple question didn’t come close to satisfying her temper, and before she could stop herself, she twisted in the seat and glared at Alexei. “You should have stayed in whatever sewer you crawled out of. Saeed didn’t need to die.”
“You took him out?” Grigoriy asked in disbelief.
The muscles in Alexei’s jaw hardened to stone. He answered with a crisp, silent nod.
Sasha reached across the seat between them and clamped her hand on his forearm. “Look at me, damn it! Quit acting like I’m the one to blame.”
When his light-green gaze skipped sideways to meet her glower, she regretted the order. If he’d been mad before, he was furious now.
“If you hadn’t called me by name, your precious Saeed would be sleeping off a lump to the temple instead of bleeding out in your bedroom.”
Like he’d backhanded her, she recoiled. It took a few seconds to recover from the unexpected whip of his tongue. When she did, what had been anger morphed into pure rage. “What the hell did you expect? That I was supposed to be coherent after what you two did to me? You could have whispered something in my ear
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